Stadium

Incorporating traditional stadium features from American and European facilities, Toyota Park includes predominantly covered seating, a brick facade and stone entry archway, and first rows placed fewer than three yards from the field. It includes forty two executive suites, six larger party suites, the Illinois Soccer Hall of Fame, and the Fire club offices, as well as a large stadium club/banquet room measuring over 9,000 square feet (840 m2).

A practice facility with two fields (one natural grass; the other artificial turf) for the Fire club and its youth programs lies next to the stadium. The stadium's design allows expansion of 50% more seating at negligible expense. Its 120 yard by 75 yard natural grass field's $1.7 million turf management system comprises full heating, drainage, and aeration capabilities.

A permanent stage allows the stadium to host concerts and quickly change configurations. A typical conversion from soccer to stage takes no more than eighteen hours. The field accommodates eight thousand additional chairback seats for concerts and other stage events.

In 2006, Toyota entered into a ten-year naming rights agreement and renamed the new stadium Toyota Park. In August 2016, it was announced in the local news circulars that Toyota chose not to renew the naming rights. The stadium will still be known as Toyota Park for the foreseeable future, as no new naming rights agreements have been announced.[8]

Music events

The concert stage at Toyota Park, as seen during the 2010 B96 Pepsi Summer Bash

Since 2006,[17] Toyota Park has been the host venue for Chicago radio station B96's annual summer concert, The B96 Pepsi Summer Bash.[18] The Crossroads Guitar Festival was held here on July 28, 2007 and again on June 26, 2010. A three-day, all-electronic music festival, Future Sound Dance Music Festival, was hosted at Toyota Park May 24-26, 2013. The Chicago Open Air festival was held there from July 15-17, 2016. It was a 3-day rock festival put on by Danny Wimmer Presents.

Ilo Ferreria was the special guest. This show featured a unique medley of "Tryin' to Reason with Hurricane Season" with a verse of "Banana Republics" in the middle before going back to "Tryin' to Reason with Hurricane Season."[23]

This show was plagued by many technical issues before the power finally went out after Fins. Jimmy performed the first encore while they waited for power to be restored. Once restored, the band came back for the second encore.[24]

Accessibility

Chicago Fire provides bus transportation from nine different bar locations in the city to and from the games.[27]

Economic development

In 2015, a Circle K convenience store and Shell gas station opened at the east end of the stadium's parking lot, accessible from Harlem Avenue.[28] Additionally, a $2.475 million transit center operated by Pace is under construction at the east end of the stadium's parking lot.[29][30]

Public Art Murals

In July 2016 two large scale murals where designed and painted by artist Tony Passero on the east and west walls of the stadiums stage suites. The murals measure 14 feet high by 27 feet in length and are named Offense and Defense.[31]